Tupac Shakur
By Clifford Jackson
I can remember 55 years ago growing up in the east Harlem housing project called Wagner Houses. This time of year was always a lot of fun when you are believing in Santa Claus and it was extremely exciting. As a kid my parents were very good at providing all of the fantasy associated with Christmas and the toys and gifts that are a part of it.
Which made a very pleasant experience when you are nine years old. As a child you don’t understand the real meaning of the holiday and definitely what people should be doing especially in terms of their faith , and the social justice part of it. As an adult I have come to see that Christianity and the Xmas holiday is a categorical fraud in this society. Especially with the way that millions of people treat each other throughout the year and then try to either sanitize their behavior during the holiday season, or engage in all of the consumption and excesses that makes their faith wreak of hypocrisy. I see this daily especially in this malaise ridden society where people who are poor or don’t have , or are living in the street are called lazy.
This capitalistic Christianity that condemns and leaves people to live in shelters and the street I think is one of the most glaring examples of the perversion of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth which is what the Xmas holiday is all about. A good Xmas is said “when the retailers are doing well”. I can’t see a more perverted expression of the holiday.
Tupac Shakur had a video interview 31 years ago that is extremely riveting and brings home the hypocrisy of this holiday season. He says “it makes no sense to me that you have people who have 50 cars or a house that has thirty bedrooms and there are people who go hungry and live in the streets. How does that make sense? Yet we do all this Christmas stuff indulging ourselves and you have millions in this country suffering”. This is a must see video that everyone reading this should see.
Tupac Shakur certainly understood the real meaning of the holiday. What Tupac Shakur said 31 years ago is glaring in its existence today. Let’s keep it real when it comes to this holiday in this sick society. For every person that understands the myriad of crisis and injustices that are going on throughout the year there are a hundred people who not only ignore the injustices of homelessness, poverty, hunger, racism , mysoginy, homophobia , they say it doesnt exist. These people especially during this time of year of parties and excess consumption will say “god is good” even when there are people living in the street that are directly in front of them.
We also see the perverted Christianity when these same people are confronted with these same injustices and they will say ” we do the best we can”. Another way to gaslight and absolve themselves of any sense of social justice. One aspect of the perversion of this holiday is that our behavior every day is directly connected to the celebration of this holiday. That meaning is certainly lost to many people who go to Catholic and Presbyterian churches all the time.
Pope Francis understood that and hopefully pope Leo understands this and makes this a daily part of his papacy. In this society you hear the constant words like “suck it up” or “man up”. In the black male community the ignorance is clearly demonstrated where if you show compassion or fear , very human qualities, you are called a ” punk mother_____”!
These words are used to describe people or scenarios where people are suffering and afraid and yet we call this country a Christian and compassionate nation. The very term ” self pity” is applied to people who are lamenting their condition that might be terminal. That term should not be the kind of response especially if you are a so-called Christian. Care and empathy should be the words conveyed to someone who is going through this kind of pain not this uncaring gangster like response. It certainly is not Christian when people are treated like that , or words such as the aforementioned dismisses the pain and suffering of others. I am not a believer in organized religion at all! From the historical crimes associated with it as well as the colonial relationships and violence and conditioning that engenders why people are so steadfast in their belief in organized religion.
One thing I do know is that what is going on in this society this holiday season is not the spirit and meaning of Jesus of Nazareth.
Clifford Jackson, Larchmont
